Monday, July 25, 2005 1:20 AM

Hand Evaluation - T/O Doubles & Transfers

PITBULLS:

When the opponents have made a T/O double of your major , they have already screwed up your auction. If you have a one suited hand that is 10 HCP+ , lower in rank than partners major, you must distort your hand by redoubling. You can not bid at the two level in your suit as this is non forcing. This is bad because the opponents can initiate pre-emptive action so you may have to introduce your one suited hand in a misfit auction at an unsafe level. Which bid in Bridge allows you to show an ambiguous one suited hand that is either very weak , intermediate or strong ? If you guessed the transfer , move to the head of the class. Playing transfers after T/O doubles of a major makes as much sense as playing them after a 1NT opening. You need rules for “super accepts” & breaking the transfer but they are handy. Transfers help define the redouble making it now punitive with no fit nor single-suited hands.

Disturbing the opponents’ auctions are a good tactical ploy. When partner opens a major , the opponents make a take-out double , you can effectively use transfers as a two pronged tactic. You can mess up their T/O double & also describe your hand better to your partner. You sacrifice the 1NT as natural ( after a major only ) which is not a great loss as with hands with no fit for partners major under the values for a redouble , it is usually better to defend. Let the opponents play the misfits. If you have a top end 1 NT bid , you can always redouble & bid NT at your first opportunity. A 1NT bid showing clubs , pre-empts them out of their 1NT response. A 1NT bid , in my opinion , just rescues the opponents especially if they are vulnerable. Think about it. You have no fit with partner along with 7-9 HCP. This means you out gun them possibly 22-18 ( giving partner her 13 HCP ) & its a misfit auction. Why bid with those hands ? D.S.I.P. doubles later on in the auction will show values just under a redouble so penalty conversions can take place or a scramble to a partial.

A transfer can be used like a relay to give two meanings to the same bid of a simple raise of partners major. If you transfer into her suit it is constructive , if you make a simple direct raise , it is not. You keep the auction at the two level & describe two different hand types. Susan tells me that Klimo has added a twist to these bids. He adds an or element to the transfers. They are either , a simple raise in partners major with values in the transfer suit or the single suited hand as described. This understanding clarifies simple raises & shows where you live. For game tries & defensive purposes. This can not be bad J .

“Showing where you live” is a time honoured hand evaluation technique that is used for game tries. Kokish game tries are defined as showing where you would accept a game try. These transfers with a fit , follow the same principle. You show where you live with a transfer simultaneously showing support for partner’s major . Excellent bidding. J

The transfer element hurts the opponents ability to compete. They either must go to a higher level with their suit or double which gives us more room to compete & allows us to redouble to show values. There is a case for playing transfers over any opening bid but we only play them after a major opening. If partner opens a minor , 1NT to play make sense & you can always get your long suits in at the one level. It is the rank problem with a major suit opener that needs to be fixed via a transfer.

Transfers have super accepts associated with them making them even more powerful. A partnership can discuss that just accepting the transfer means no interest in that suit.

Major openings and Dbl

1© Dbl 1ª natural and forcing

1N = transfer to ♣ any strength or raise with values in clubs

2§ = transfer to ¨ any strength or raise with values in diamonds

2¨ = transfer to © (8 – 10 HCP) constructive raise

2♥ - non constructive raise 3 card support

3♥ - pre-emptive 4 card support

2NT – Limit raise or better

1ª Dbl 1N = Transfer to § any strength or raise with values in clubs

2§ = transfer to ¨ any strength or raise with values in diamonds

2♠ - non constructive 3 card support

3♠ - pre-emptive 4 card support

2NT – Limit raise or better

With the Klimo adjunct , all transfers can also show a raise with values in that suit.